Blue-Eyed Ghost
by snow1010
Summary: After the fall of SHIELD, the Winter Soldier embarks on a journey to regain his memories. However, Project Clairvoyant, a developing HYDRA project, draws his attention. Meanwhile, Steve and Sam begin their pursuit of the fallen Howling Commando.
1. Chapter 1

**Longing**

Whenever they put him back into cryo-sleep, strange dreams would always chase him. Garbled words, names that seemed to strike some kind of chord deep within him, but whenever he tried to grasp those threads, they slipped away like sand. Whenever he lost those threads, some senseless feeling of frustration and anger would well up. But one thing that was consistent with the non-sensical dreams was one person. The haze of his muddled memory and confusion would always conceal their face. One thing that stood out was their eyes; a clear and defiant blue.

This blue-eyed ghost would call after him, yell his name. Those times in cryo-sleep tormented him, not able to figure out who this specter was, why they called to him, or what they meant to him.

That changed whenever they took him out of his chamber. Electricity sent agony through his body, until the pain seemed to blot out the remnants of his dreams. Then the words. The words brought clarity. Purpose.

He was no longer a person haunted by the blue-eyed ghost. But a thing. A weapon. The Winter Soldier.

…..

2014\. Washington DC, USA

 _The Winter Soldier crouched low over the rooftop, peering through his scope. The target was present, talking to someone outside his view. It didn't matter. His mission was to take out the target, and nothing more. Although the idea of leaving a witness alive grated against his ingrained training._

 _As soon as SHIELD Director Nick Fury entered his crosshairs, he pulled the trigger. The target fell, back arching as the bullets penetrated his body. Whoever he was talking to raced forward, looking for the shooter, for him. Rising, he collapsed his sniper rifle and slung it across his back. With his enhanced hearing, he could already detect whoever had been speaking to the target pursuing him. And fast._

 _He ran, leaping across rooftops. His pursuer was still hot on his tail. The sound of glass shattering behind him made him tense, but he still ran. As long as he disappeared before this person could catch him, he would have completed his mission._

 _A strange metallic sound pursued him, the hairs on the back of his neck raising in awareness. The Winter Soldier whirled and caught the projectile thrown at him. The metal hummed as if it was alive, the sound of it resonating in his metal arm. There was a man standing across from him. Even with his enhanced senses, he could not make out what the man looked like, with the light from the office building behind him blotting out his features. Only an outline. With as much strength as he could, he threw it back. Before the pursuer could react, he made his exit, plunging down into the traffic below._

2014\. Washington DC, US. The Smithsonian. After the fall of SHIELD.

The Winter Soldier's head ached. Voices continuously bounced off him, children chattering excitedly as they pointed at the pictures of Captain America. He kept his head low, hands tucked into his pockets as he wound his way through the exhibit, trying to find what he was looking for. The thick information flier he had grabbed was clenched in his flesh hand. The painted visages of the Howling Commandos, of Captain America, sent spikes of pain in his head. Each stab seemed to bleed flashes of memory. They didn't make sense to him, at least not yet.

He stopped in front of a glass placard. Engraved on its surface was a familiar face. His face.

James Buchanan Barnes. Bucky. That was what Captain America called him.

 _Barnes was the only Howling Commando to give his life in service of his country._

He had a new mission now. He needed his memories back. HYDRA was never going to control him again, he would make sure of it. And the only way to do that was to rid the world of them. Of all of them. He had shown mercy to the scientists, the ones that handled him at the Ideal Federal Savings Bank, overwhelmed with the screams of past kills. The screams had quieted when he left.

Going after the scientists was not the right call. He needed to hunt the people that ordered his missions. And he knew where they were. Some he would not be able to touch here in the US. They would be hunting him.

He felt the blue-eyed ghost watching in the corners of his mind. He had a feeling he knew who it was. But they were still concealed from him.

They seemed to nod at the Winter Soldier's resolve.

….

2014\. Washington DC. Undisclosed safe house.

Steve watched the screens. Sharon had helped him set the temporary work station up and made it easy to use so he and the equally-tech-inept Sam Wilson could also work it. Bucky had to be somewhere in the city. With the fall of SHIELD, checkpoints at the borders of the city were installed, hoping to pick up any fleeing HYDRA agents or collaborators. So far only a few captures had been made as many decided to lay low until the dust settled.

He knew that this moment was crucial. If they didn't pick him up here in the States, finding him abroad would be that much harder. Probably impossible.

Sam returned, still donning his incognito baseball cap and sunglasses.

"We got a lead. Someone spotted him at the Smithsonian. The FBI and CIA also has the Ideal Federal Savings Bank closed down. Apparently, that's where they kept him."

"Alright, we'll split up, hit both. Let's go."

….

2014\. Washington DC, USA.

 _The Winter Soldier walked past panicked civilians, reloading his gun. They screamed as gunfire echoed around them. Amongst the yelling and bullets flying, he could pick out a thread of sound. A voice. Female. It was one of the targets, the woman._

 _He stopped, letting himself trace her voice to her location. Kneeling, he withdrew an explosive and let it roll. The car from which her voice came from blew up into a fury of fire and smoke. But no body._

 _She came from behind, flying to wrap her legs around his neck. The zip of a garrote made him raise a hand to defend his neck, the woman heaving at it with her wire. Seizing her by the back of her jacket, the Winter Soldier threw her off, her body colliding heavily with an abandoned car. Now was the opportunity to finish her off. He raised his gun._

 _But he had underestimated her. The machinery in his arm groaned when the woman planted a Taser disc on it, making her getaway. He closed his hand into a fist, ripping the disc off. The useless metal appendage whirred as he forced it back into action._

 _He clenched his teeth. The drive to finish the mission pounded in his head, the phantom feeling of electricity ghosting through his veins. He prowled after the target, her red hair a beacon through the masses. He lifted his gun and pulled the trigger. Her body arched as she fell. But it was not a death shot. It had merely tagged her._

 _Growling, he cornered her, jumping onto a car. Her eyes landed on him as he raised his gun, his finger tight on the trigger. Finally. He had her._

 _Until someone stormed at him. Dropping his gun, he lashed out. His metal fist clanged as it collided with the man's shield, the impact of it reverberating throughout his entire body. The sound of the shield was familiar. The man from the roof. The one that was able to catch up to him._

 _Pushing aside the shield, he kicked out sending the man flying to the ground. Raising his gun, he fired at the target, but the bullets clanged uselessly against his shield. He kept firing bullet after bullet but none of them hit._

 _The two clashed, blow after blow matched with equal strength. The Winter Soldier had fought many adversaries. But these two targets were proving to be more difficult._

 _The man caught him by surprise when he flipped him over his shoulder. His mask clattered to the ground as he rolled away. He turned, his hand going to his belt. His target paused, staring at him._

" _Bucky?"_

 _The name sent a flood of images through his mind, reviving the blue-eyed ghost from its dark prison. He could feel the ghost's expectation hovering around him. Blue eyes. Just like the target._

" _Who the hell is Bucky?" he spat. He raised his gun. He needed to know why one word made the blue-eyed ghost come back. And he would get the answers even if he had to bleed it out of the man across from him._

 _Something collided into him from behind, sending him flying. He straightened, feeling the gaze of both the man and the ghost in his mind on him. It conflicted with the increasing drive to complete his mission. No. He shut them both out. Mission. Complete mission. He raised his gun once more. Until an explosion sent him flying._

 _He fled. He was surrounded. And the ghost kept glaring at him, their eyes blazing with disbelief._

 _Bucky?_

 _The question echoed in his ears._

….

2014\. Washington DC, USA. Ideal Federal Savings Bank

Neither Steve nor Sam turned up anything substantial. If the Winter Soldier had been spotted, it was a long time ago. He was in the wind now.

"I don't know if you should see what's in there," Sam said, putting a hand on Cap's shoulder. "It's pretty bad."

Steve shook it off. He had to. This was his best friend. He had to do everything in his power to get him back, and that meant he had to know what he had been through. The two slipped through the wall of cops and agents, donning FBI jackets. A quick flick of their borrowed badges let them in.

Inside the vault was a strange contraption. Part of it was a chair, equipped with metal restraints. A control station sat beside it, with unlit dials reading out voltage. Attached to the chair was a clamp, molded to attach to a person's head. An electroshock chair. An analyst was parked in front of the control station, studying the programs built into it. All of it was in Russian.

This was what HYDRA was doing to keep Bucky under control. Electrocuting him into submission. No wonder he didn't recognize him. Anger burned hot in his chest. It slithered and twisted inside him, threatening to burst.

The two slipped out of the bank. Steve remained silent the entire way back to the safehouse, clenching his jaw.

…..

2014\. St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

The Winter Soldier kept his head bowed as he boarded the plane, equipped with a fake passport and ticket. The people paid him no mind, too consumed with their own issues and electronic devices. He pulled out a journal. He had already started to write down the shreds of memory that had started to come back, the words messy in his hurry to get everything down. He tapped a picture of Captain America to one page and tagged it. He had a lot of time when he slipped onto a trade freighter hiding amongst the shipping crates. He had been tempted to rip into one with his strength. But that would just leave another breadcrumb for HYDRA or the government to find him.

He was not going to be taken. At least not until he found the answers he needed.

The ghost seemed more agitated than ever, frenzied with his pursuit into his own mind. He could make out more of what they looked like. Instead of just a formless shadow, it begun to take shape. A slight shape, though he still couldn't tell if they were male or female. He thought of the countless kills he made for HYDRA. Several of them could fit the description, including his first kill under HYDRA's command. He just needed to get his hands on the files. And luckily for him, all of that was on the Internet.

And it was still trending. Whatever that meant.

….

2014\. St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

They had traced Bucky to Canada, specifically an airport in St. John's. But things got hazy. Camera footage was spotty, and as being the Winter Soldier, Bucky would know how to avoid being recorded. There were also at least five men who matched his description, which Steve knew was no accident. Of course he would know how to blend in. They ran the purchasing history of all the suspected men. It did not help either.

One to Deer Lake, another town in the same province. Others to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Mainly national flights. But there were a few international flights. Paris, Rome, London, Frankfurt.

He tried to think of Bucky's history. Before he was flown abroad during the war, the 107th was stationed in Azzano, Italy. It was where they were ambushed before being taken as prisoners of war to a HYDRA weapons facility in the Alps in Austria. If he was tracing his past in the war, then he'd most likely go to Rome or Frankfurt to see where he fought or where he was captured. Since his capture as a prisoner of war started Zola's experimentation on him, Steve estimated that Frankfurt was the best bet. It had to be.

…..

1925\. Brooklyn, New York.

 _When James Buchanan Barnes emerged onto the schoolyard, something immediately drew his attention. Some of the boys in his year had surrounded someone, in an isolated corner of the school building. The person they surrounded was so slight that he could barely make them out around the other boys._

" _Hey!" he yelled. The boys turned. One of them clutched some money in his fist. A smaller boy took his chance and went for the stolen money. A simple shove sent him into the dirt._

" _You give that guy's lunch money back now."_

" _Oh, what're you gonna do about it, James?"_

 _He curled his lip. He hated being called James. Usually his father only called him that, whenever he was upset with him for stirring up trouble. He rather liked being called by his full name instead, James Buchanan Barnes. He insisted on his classmates calling him by his full name. Although it tended to be a mouthful._

" _I'll punch ya right between the eyes, that's what. And ya know I mean it."_

 _The boy threw the money onto the ground, leaving the smaller one to grab it from the dirt. They left him alone, jeering._

" _You didn't have to do that, ya know. I had it covered."_

" _I'm sure you did," he held out a hand. The smaller boy grasped it, pulling himself up._

 _He gave the younger kid his signature cocky smile, one that his mother said would get him in trouble with the ladies when he was older. He didn't really understand what that meant. Girls were gross._

" _I'm James Buchanan Barnes."_

" _Steve Rogers," the smaller kid replied, straightening his clothes. With his small bony build, you could almost mistake Steve for a girl. But the spark burning in the younger boy's blue eyes immediately drew James Buchanan Barnes to him. He had found someone like him. Someone with a fighting spirit._

" _You have a long name, James Buchanan Barnes. Do you have a nickname?"_

" _No. As long as you don't call me just James, it's all good."_

 _Steve chewed on his lip in thought. "How about Bucky?"_

" _Bucky?" He thought about it for a moment. It had a certain ring to it, like the stage name of a boxer._

" _Alright, you can call me that. Let's go play, huh? Race you!"_

 _The two boys raced off._

 _And the rest, you can say, is history._

…..

2014\. Paris, France.

The Winter Soldier tucked his hands into his pockets, tourists darting around him. Many posed to take selfies, aiming grins or strange pouts at the small cameras. The Eiffel Tower rose above him, its point piercing the slate gray sky. He rubbed at his temple. The dream he had on the plane still haunted him. He had scribbled it down in the journal before it faded.

The sight of the monument made him lower his eyes. It felt like he was meant to see this with someone. Like he told someone that they would see it together.

This strange longing made him straighten. He wasn't here to reminisce. He was here for a purpose. A mission. He opened his journal, finding the address scribbled on the inside of the cover. Snapping it closed, he left the Eiffel Tower behind.

Once he found the address, he watched the small house. During the day, there wasn't much movement. At least until the late afternoon. A sleek town car spit out a little girl, clutching the hand of her mother. They both entered the house.

It was only when night fell when he returned. One of the HYDRA higher ups. Specifically a researcher into mental conditioning. He had connections to Whitehall along with other heads of HYDRA. Despite the leak of SHIELD's secrets, hence HYDRA's, this man, Francois Beaumont, had not been caught. He had a feeling HYDRA still had people working to manage the leak.

When the city quieted, he broke into the home. He made no noise as he snuck upstairs and into the master bedroom. Not wanting to disturb Francois' wife, he lifted the HYDRA scientist out of the bed. The man found himself tied to a chair and gagged in the kitchen, with the Winter Soldier sitting across from him.

He raised one metal finger to his lips, raising a threatening eyebrow. The man immediately quieted.

"You will tell me what I need to know," he murmured in French. "You will not scream or cry out. Or else you will regret it."

He didn't need to elaborate on the threat. One from the Winter Soldier was enough.

"Tell me what I need to know about Project Clairvoyant."

 **Hello everyone! Since I'm feeling major MCU withdrawals, I've decided to write a fic about some of my favourite characters. I'm going to try to be good and update weekly for this one (it's not long so it's a bit easier lol).**

 **Question for you all: if either Bucky or Sam take up the mantle of Captain America, who do you think it will be? (Though the likelihood is somewhat low due to the announcement of a limited series staring both of these characters on Disney's new streaming service but I digress).**

 **As always, read and review! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Rusted**

 _Things have started to come back. I remember the person I used to be. But that person is so different than who I am now, they may as well be a stranger. I have no doubt that Steve is still trying to find me. Even after two years. But how can I say that his best friend is dead? They died in that ravine. He's just chasing a ghost. Just like how I chase the ghost in my memories._

Excerpt from Bucky Barnes' journals. Submitted to evidence by Anti-Terrorism Task Force in the Vienna Bombing Case. 2016.

….

2014\. Paris, France.

Steve studied the file. Thanks to Sharon's help, he had been able to access the newest files in the search for remaining HYDRA agents, including the Winter Soldier. One incident currently drew his attention. Francois Beaumont, a scientist for HYDRA, had turned up at the police station, tied up and gagged. Pressed against his chest was a manila folder, listing all of Beaumont's transgressions with the organization. Besides the man wetting himself, he was fine. Not even a bruise on him.

A vigilante it seemed, turning in HYDRA agents. But what drew Steve's attention was the project that the man was associated with. He had been involved with Project Centipede briefly, but then was one of the higher ups in Project Clairvoyant. Since it was a fledgling study, there wasn't much on it from the leaked files. But it was clear what it was for. Mental conditioning. Brainwashing.

It had to have been Bucky. It had to.

So he pulled up all he could on Project Clairvoyant.

…..

 _Steve, before the whole super soldier thing, always got sick. Any shift in the weather would affect him. He would always bundle up as much as he could, so layered with clothes that he looked like a snowman. Along with a scarf and hat, the only thing you could see was his eyes, narrowed as if to challenge anyone to say anything. Though he would always catch the cold anyway. But there was one time that I thought he would die. The cold that year had settled deep into his lungs, filling them with fluid. Every breath was a battle, the rasp in his chest threatening to become a death rattle at any moment. I couldn't remember a time I felt so scared, besides when the 107th shipped out._

 _Whenever he mentioned enlisting, all I could think of was that fluid-filled rattle in his chest when he got sick. There was a good reason why they kept rejecting him. And even as I shipped out, I prayed that he would never be sent over. His body wouldn't be able to take it._

 _But what worried me even more was what War does to a person. I was never that great a person to begin with, so all it would do is bring out what was already there._

 _But Steve? That guy's a class act. He's too good for War. It would chew him up with its bloody fangs and spit him out, mangling him into something unrecognizable. And that would be worse than him dying._

Excerpt from Bucky Barnes' journals. Evidence from the Anti-Terrorism Task Force in the Vienna Bombing Case. 2016.

…..

2014\. Berlin, Germany. Club Nyx.

The nightclub throbbed with the music, flashing lights illuminating the dancing throng around him. The Winter Soldier pushed his way through, his eyes trained on his target. A young man took up residence on an ornate chaise, lining up shots for his compatriots around him. Ulric Schmidt. Very distant relation to Red Skull, but he took every chance to flaunt it, according to the files online.

Flashes of another mission, in an eerily similar nightclub, bloomed behind his eyes. He shook his head, trying to blink them away.

He just needed to get the target alone. Then he could end Project Clairvoyant once and for all.

But just as he neared the group, a young woman approached dressed in a form fitting dress, the red complimenting her dark skin. She said a few words to Ulric. It didn't take long for the HYDRA agent to go with her. Throwing a knowing smirk to his friends, the two left to disappear into one of the many more private hallways.

He paused. Giving enough time for a young woman to prowl up to him, her hand sliding up teasingly from his arm to his shoulder. She didn't notice the rigidity of his metal arm as she gave him an inviting grin.

"Hey. Want to dance?" she asked in German.

"No thank you," he replied in turn, tracing the pair's path with his eyes.

"Bat for the other team then?" she tilted her head.

He didn't understand the reference. What did baseball have to do with dancing? Didn't matter.

"Have a good night," he answered, and went after them. It didn't take long to find them. The young woman had Ulric pinned against the wall, pointing a gun at his throat. Whoever she was, she was no assassin. She couldn't hold the gun properly, and from what the Soldier could tell, the safety was still on.

"Where is Cedric? I know you took him."

"I'm not telling you anything."

"Oh, so it's a coincidence that the last person he was seen with, was you? I knew from the look of you that you were some shady son-of-a-"

With a silent sigh, he snuck up on the pair, taking off the glove that hid his metal hand. In one motion, he plucked the gun from the girl's hand and pushed her away. He flicked off the safety and pressed it into the man's jugular. In the corner of his eye, he could see the girl scramble for something in her clutch.

"Don't move," he growled at her. Her eyes roved over him, widening in realization. He turned back to Ulric.

"You know what I want," he hissed in German. "Project Clairvoyant. Where is the lab?"

"You're looking for the lab too?" the girl asked.

He glared at her. "Leave. This is none of your business."

"Well it is my business. It's my tech they stole for Project Clairvoyant. And they kidnapped one of my lab mates to finish it."

Ulric looked between the two of them. His body tensed underneath the Winter Soldier's grip. He was going to make a getaway. His metal arm caught Ulric's, wrenching it hard behind his back. He screamed as the force of it dislocated his shoulder.

Pulling a pair of zip ties from his pocket, he quickly restrained the HYDRA agent.

"Doesn't matter. I have what I need. Go before I change my mind."

"No. You're not listening. I'm coming with you on this. My lab mate was kidnapped by these Nazi freaks, and there's no way I'm letting them use it for some evil world-denomination plan."

"Why would I let you help me?"

"You need someone with an in-depth understanding of how Project Clairvoyant. I can hack into their computers, delete the plans before they can do anything with him. There's also the fact, that oh I don't know, that I can call the police and tell them where you are?"

He gritted his teeth. "Fine," he ground out. "Let's go."

"I have a car."

"No. We need to take one. If anyone catches wind that you are with me, they will track down everything under your name. They will find us right away."

"Then what about his car?"

He thought about Ulric's movements. He had been watching him. Since the fall of SHIELD and HYDRA, he's been making quick work of spending his hefty inheritance on alcohol, drugs and the like. Typically, he was a frequent denizen of the red-light district in Berlin, and always stopped at the nightclubs, surrounded by his companions for the night. Then he would drive his car, still feeling inebriated, back to his mansion on the outskirts of the city. It was a miracle he hadn't killed himself in an accident yet.

Luckily, or unluckily more like it, all of the servants of the house had gone missing once HYDRA's secrets were outed. "Missing". HYDRA's polite definition of killed. So they would have the mansion to themselves.

Shoving Ulric into the back of his Lamborghini, a spare sock stuffed into his mouth, he and the woman got into the front.

"So why are you going after this, Sergeant Barnes?"

He clenched his jaw. Sergeant Barnes. That wasn't him.

"Don't call me that."

"Then what do I call you?"

He thought of what Captain America called him. Bucky. It belonged to him more than Sergeant Barnes, or James. But it didn't fit quite just yet.

"Just call me the Winter Soldier," he answered gruffly.

"Riri Williams. Masters student at MIT."

….

 _Sometimes when I have dreams, I see two versions of myself. One is the face of James Buchanan Barnes, before the war. The other is the muzzled face of the Winter Soldier. One of a hopeful, arrogant boy. The other a barely restrained animal._

 _Which one is my true face?_

Excerpt from Bucky Barnes' journals. Collected as evidence by the Anti-Terrorism Task Force for the Vienna Bombing. 2016.

….

2014\. Berlin, Germany.

Stark Industries was sponsoring a conference, encouraging research in engineering and tech to show off their latest inventions. Several universities had set up booths, with tables being allotted to specific research labs.

Steve and Sam split up, searching for the MIT booth. After asking around, they converged onto Dr. Anders' booth. An exhausted undergrad saw them first, carrying a tray of coffee. Eyes widening in surprise, the poor girl tripped over her feet, sending the tray flying. Sam caught her, while Steve managed to rescue the coffee. The girl, blushing in embarrassment, straightened her hair.

"How can I help you today?"

"We are looking for your supervisor, Dr. Anders. As well as two of your graduate students; Cedric Platel and Riri Williams."

She looked down, biting her lip nervously. The pair looked at each other. Something was definitely going on.

"Well, I know I'm not supposed to say anything, but since Captain America is asking," she lowered her voice, the two men nearing to hear her over the crowd.

"Cedric is gone. Near the beginning of the conference, he said he had to go do something, to prepare for the lecture he and Riri was going to give. But then he disappeared. So Riri had to give the talk by herself. Soon after that, she disappeared too."

"Anything unusual about how Riri was acting?"

The girl shifted on her feet. "Well, her and Cedric work closely together. The project was Riri's idea, and Cedric helped her out with the finer points of the wiring or designing the processor for the chip while he worked on his own Ph.D. thesis. Riri is only a Master's student so she couldn't give the talk by herself. At least according to Dr. Anders. Anyway, she thought it was weird how Cedric disappeared. Apparently, he was sick, but when we both visited his room, it was empty."

"How come you haven't gone to the police?"

"I sent an anonymous tip to the police. They searched and apparently, he went back to the States, so they considered the case closed. I don't know. It just seemed so odd."

"Is there a problem over here?"

The group turned to find Dr. Anders. The small woman paled as she recognized the two. Both men could read it in her body language; the way she tensed, her eyes flicking to the nearest exits. She was going to make a run for it.

Before the two men could react to it, the student slightly lifted her foot tripping the older woman in her attempt to escape. The men quickly surrounded her, and took her off to the side, the student quickly trotting after them. They smuggled the woman to a private room, shoving a door into the door handle.

"Tell us what you know," Steve ordered, his voice brokering no space for argument.

Dr. Anders narrowed her eyes. She glared at the undergrad. "Miriam, you will not receive any recommendation letter from me if you do not get security right now."

The girl raised her eyebrows. "If you have nothing to do with Cedric's and Riri's disappearances, I don't see why I need to get security."

"Listen to me, you little ingrate-"

"Hey," Sam interrupted. "Don't talk to her like that. Now tell us what you know."

…

 _When I think of what I was like before the war, or hell, during the war, I seemed to be this shiny new toy, full of life and luster._

 _But now, I'm just a rusted old thing, bearing little resemblance to what I was before._

 _That's what Steve doesn't understand. He's missing the old me._

 _He doesn't want what I am now. And the sooner he realizes that, the better. He has to stop searching. I'm getting tired of moving._

 _I just want to stay still._

Excerpt from Bucky Barnes' journals. Collected as evidence by the Anti-Terrorism Task Force in the Vienna Bombing. 2016.


	3. Chapter 3

**Furnace**

2014\. Berlin, Germany.

Ulric Schmidt whimpered as both the Winter Soldier and Riri hefted him inside the Schmidt mansion, securely tying him to a chair in the basement. The basement turned out to be a small HYDRA bunker, which ran on its own concealed power grid. It would be impossible to trace any signal coming out of it, at least according to Riri. He wasn't a tech wizard, never was. He just had to take her word for it.

While Riri searched the computers for anything valuable, the Soldier stood in front of Ulric, tapping a knife on his knee. Eyes so wide that you could see the whites all around, Ulric kept his eyes on that knife, waiting for the Soldier's next move.

His whimpers grew louder as the Soldier reached for the gag, slowly pulling it out.

"Tell us how to get into your computer."

Ulric easily complied, supplying all the necessary passwords. Riri called him over.

"They completely bastardized my device. It was supposed to help with communication, to bring people closer together. Not this."

The Winter Soldier stared over her shoulder. Schematics detailing a small implantable chip unfurled in front of him.

"It was supposed to be an interface, implanted in your central nervous system. It would replace your phone, computer. It could provide a new mode of communication for the ordinary use or in the medical field. Like you could store memories, so that say if you get dementia, you could always look back at them. But they're using it to upload brainwashing programs. A way to remotely control anyone with a touch of a button."

The Winter Soldier straightened. A way for HYDRA to brainwash remotely. They could control him with a remote, like some toy car. Rage filled him, burning hot in his chest. He glared at the girl beside him. How could she make something like this? What kind of mind could possibly concoct something that could be used for such a purpose?

Project Clairvoyant could not go on any further. But it would still live on in the minds of those that created it. The only way it would truly not be a threat, would be to kill the minds that created it.

He eyed Riri, the woman too consumed with the modifications the HYDRA scientists had made to notice. She cursed, eyes gleaming wetly. She ran a hand over her curly hair.

Rising slowly, the Winter Soldier prowled forward to their prisoner. He lifted him up by his neck, his feet barely touching the ground.

"Where do they have the prototype device?"

The man grunted and choked for air under his hand. He squeezed harder. Scum like this shouldn't be living. They didn't deserve to draw breath.

 _Mission. Kill. Mission. Kill._ The words from past missions overlapped with one another, hissing in various languages. Russian. German. English.

 _Bucky. Don't._

A new voice. A different one.

The blue-eyed ghost hovered by Ulric's shoulder, shadows turning to smoke along their shoulders. The Soldier couldn't identify their voice; it was a mix of male and female, like many voices layered over on top of each other.

"Hey! Don't kill him! We need him!" Riri raced towards him.

He looked back to the blue-eyed ghost. But they were gone. He let Schmidt go. The man gasped, his throat a blotchy red from his grip.

Riri eyed him, ready to spring into action in case he went berserk again. Though even if she did intervene, it wouldn't stop the Soldier from killing Schmidt where he stood.

Sighing, she returned to the computer.

"Oh! I got it!"

The Soldier returned to her side, his hand gripping the back of her chair. A location of an underground facility. In the Austrian Alps.

Where Bucky Barnes had been taken as a POW.

The Soldier was so immersed in the sudden flux of memories, tainted with pain and fear, that he didn't notice the noises at first. Then they registered. Wet, choking noises. He whirled.

But it was too late. Schmidt laid back limp in his chair, foam collecting between his lips. Cyanide.

"You better have everything we need."

"That and more," Riri snipped back, irritated at the threat lurking in the Soldier's words. She stilled as she stared at something on screen.

"We need to get out. Now."

The Soldier didn't hesitate. Tucking Riri under one arm, he sprinted up the stairs, and out of the mansion. Jumping into Schmidt's Lamborghini, they peeled off.

And it was a good thing they got out when they did. A missile was a distant comet in the sky. Heading straight for the mansion.

…..

2014\. Berlin, Germany.

"I'm not going to tell you anything," Dr. Anders laughed.

The girl, Miriam, sighed. Her face settled into a hard mask before she grabbed the doctor by the neck, lifting her off her feet. The woman's eyes widened, grasping at the startlingly strong grip. The two men were too shocked to respond right away, until Steve reached for her.

But even Steve's grip couldn't break the girl's attack. She pushed him away, still maintaining her hold on the scientist.

"Are you ready to talk now?"

Dr. Anders frantically nodded, clawing desperately at the offending hand around her throat. Miriam dropped her.

The older woman clutched at her throat, gasping for air in loud, croaking pulls.

"Who are you?" she growled.

"I'm surprised you don't already know, Dr. Anders. But that doesn't matter. Tell us why two of your brightest students disappeared."

"Miss Williams created a device. A chip that would act as an interface to the digital world around us. It would linked with the central nervous system. It's a revolutionary idea. But she wanted to use it for the good of the world. She did not see the true potential of the device. But we did."

"And what is this true potential?"

"To control any of HYDRA's enemies with this device. Through the chip, we can manipulate memories, perceptions. We can command agents around the world simultaneously to bring to life HYDRA's mission: order."

"Brainwashing. That's why Bucky wants it," Steve muttered to himself.

"Ah. Mr. Barnes. One of our finest weapons. Though he proved to be a bit unruly. Like a dog, he required several punishments to adjust such behaviour."

Steve tried to control his breathing. Talking about his best friend, one of the few people still living that meant so much to him, like he was some animal.

Dr. Anders suddenly jerked towards Miriam. "That's why you are interested in it. I should have known that –"

Miriam raised her hand. A yellow blast shot from her hand into Dr. Anders' chest. The woman collapsed onto the floor.

"What did you do?" Steve demanded, stalking towards her. Miriam stood her ground.

"I just knocked her out, relax."

Sam studied her, arms crossed over his chest. "Why did she know who you were?"

The two men tensed. Miriam held up her hands.

"Don't worry. We're on the same side."

"Why are you interested in this?"

"Because I'm like your friend. I was controlled by HYDRA too. To be their assassin."

"How did you get out?"

"I got out a long time ago. It took a while for some of the brainwashing to fade. But whatever they put me through, it wasn't as intense as what they put your friend through. They really wanted to hold onto him. Especially when they found out you were alive."

"Seems like you're stronger than both of us. Why wouldn't they want to keep you?"

"I might be technically stronger. But don't forget the symbolism of it. I'm just a random girl. But Bucky Barnes, he is someone. A Howling Commando. A hero. You know how HYDRA is."

HYDRA was known for their grandiose plans. Image was everything.

"So will you accept my help?"

She held out a hand.

"Is Miriam your real name?"

She smiled sadly. "No. It's my mother's. I'm Jessica. Jessica Drew."

…..

2014\. Washington, DC.

 _He sat in the chair. Scientists immediately swarmed him, checking for any damage. One immediately started on his damaged metal arm, sparks flying up as he fixed the wiring._

 _Bucky. Bucky. Bucky._

 _The word echoed in his ears, over and over and over. The man on the bridge. He had called him that. His face had been slack with shock, all the fight drained from his body. The Soldier couldn't understand it. Who was this Bucky?_

 _An image floated into his mind. The same man, clutching the side of a train. He reached out a gloved hand, as a winter wind pulled at them. He was reaching out for the man, as he clutched a rusted rail. But the winter wind was too strong, and the rail too weak. With a groan, the rail let go under his weight, dropping him._

 _Another flash. The snow was cold. Oh so cold. He could feel himself fading away. Soon, he'd be dead. Please let it be soon._

 _Then he wasn't in the snow. Instead he was on an operating table. He lifted his hands. One was still flesh. The other, a monstrosity of gray metal. A deep rage burned in his chest. What did they do?_

 _"You will be the new fist of HYDRA."_

 _Zola's words echoed in his ears as the doctors studied him. They wanted him to be a weapon. Against the Allies. Against the Howling Commandos. Against Steve._

 _The rage burned hotter. There was no way in hell that was going to happen. The anger warmed him like a furnace inside, burning away the meager remnants of the ineffective sedative. The metal hand seized the throat of a doctor. He could feel the man's windpipe closing under his grip. He squeezed tighter._

 _Zola emerged, withdrawing an needle from the depths of his lab coat. Before he could react in time, it slammed down into his chest, the plunger pushing more sedatives into his blood._

 _The rage woke again as two men pushed him into a chamber._

 _"Put him on ice," Zola ordered._

 _No. He had to get out. He needed to tell everyone that he was alive. He raised his metal hand, just as ice raced towards him, the brutal grip of winter grabbing hold of him once again._

 _He sucked a breath as he dropped suddenly out of the deluge of memories. The doctor reached for him again, his tools still sparking with electricity. That strange ancient rage in his chest opened its eye, like a dragon waking from a long slumber. Seizing the scientist, he threw him to the ground. A half dozen clicks greeted him as the guards aimed their guns at him._

 _Bucky. The man's face, his target, flashed behind his eyes. Who was he? And why had he been on a train with him? Was it the man called Steve from that memory?_

 _"Mission report."_

 _The words seemed to come from far away. What was real? Or was this some dream?_

 _"Mission report now."_

 _The blow came from nowhere, a hard cuff to the jaw. The pain pierced the fog over his mind. He straightened._

 _"The man on the bridge. Who was he?" the words came out of his mouth before he could even think._

 _Pierce considered him, drawing up a stool. "You met him earlier this week on another assignment."_

 _That. That was true. He was the man that was able to pursue him after he killed the target in the apartment complex. But Pierce, he wasn't telling the whole truth. He knew it._

 _"I knew him," the Soldier insisted. Pierce had to tell him more. He knew that he was hiding how he truly knew the target._

 _Pierce settled fully on the stool across from him, ducking his head to make sure he had the Soldier's undivided attention._

 _"Your work has been a gift to mankind. You shaped the century."_

 _All pretty words and lies. He needed to know the goddamn truth. The rage inside him writhed in confusion._

 _"And I need you to do it one more time. Society's at a tipping point between order and chaos. And tomorrow morning, we're going to give it a push. But, if you don't do your part, I can't do mine."_

 _Comply. Comply. Comply. Bucky. Bucky. Bucky. The words competed for dominance in his brain._

 _"And HYDRA can't give the world the freedom it deserves."_

 _He tilted his head, considering. Blue eyes. Same as… same as the ghost. He could feel its presence hovering over him. Begging him to remember. To do something._

 _But it took everything in him to hold on to this thread of lost memories._

 _"But I knew him."_

 _Pierce sat back, sighing through his nose. He was disappointed. Disappointed with him. He stood._

 _"Prep him."_

 _"But he's been out of cryo freeze too long."_

 _"Then wipe him and start over."_

 _Wipe him. Start over. The words clanged together loudly. No. He couldn't. He couldn't lose the memories. The blue-eyed ghost reached for him, its shadowy hand reaching for his shoulder._

 _No. No. He couldn't let them do this._

 _Bucky. Comply. Bucky. Comply. Comply. Comply._

 _The scientists went to the machines. One held out the mouthpiece. The mouthpiece that prevented him from breaking his own teeth._

 _Comply. Comply._

 _He knew it would be shorter if he complied. If he was biddable. He opened his mouth, letting the man position it over his teeth. The machine encircled its cold arms around his skin, pinning him in place. He watched as the clamps descended towards him, fastening over his face._

 _"Bucky," the ghost whispered. Those damned eyes were filled with tears._

 _Then he screamed, and screamed and screamed. Until he saw nothing at all._

….

 _As soon as they took me out of the cryo chamber, they would always drag me out. The freezing weakened me, and not only physically. I could feel this weight on my mind. Like something was fighting to burst through this icy wall._

 _But as soon as I could punch one crack in that wall, they would shove me into the chair. The ghost would always accompany me, the one constant connection to my past that never seemed to go away._

 _But the machine and the words would always make them go away. And I would wake up. Feeling clearer as they delivered my orders._

 _But no matter what, there was a sense of loss. Of sadness. Of an ache so deep nothing seemed to be able to heal it. And I never had an idea of what I had lost._

 _That made it hurt even more._

Excerpt from Bucky Barnes' journals. Seized as evidence by the Anti-Terrorism Task Force in the Vienna Bombing. 2016.


	4. Chapter 4

**Daybreak**

2014\. Berlin, Germany.

Steve studied the files on his screen. Jessica Drew, the young woman who masqueraded as a university student, according to these files was an assassin. She seemed to specialize in "perfect murders". She could slip in anywhere, kill her target and be gone before anyone noticed anything.

But what astounded him the most was the mission dates. According to her file, she was born in 1970. She was "recruited" around 1985 and was an active agent until 2010. How was she still so young?

Though the file on her quickly answered that. After training her for three consecutive years, while brainwashing her, they put her on ice as well. But she was not held in Siberia, like Bucky was. She was held at Wundagore Mountain in Transia, a country in Eastern Europe. She was part of a HYDRA project, deemed Project New Men. It was marked as a fail as a whole, with Drew one of the few living successes still around.

In 2010, she had been assigned to kill Nick Fury. The attempt on his life was almost successful, but somehow the former Director was able to reach through the HYDRA programming and wake the girl underneath. Afterwards, she disappeared from both SHIELD's and HYDRA's radar. Steve suspected that Fury had a hand in that, the secretive bastard.

He looked up the picture. Named "Arachne", the girl wore a similar half-mask as the Winter Soldier, except that it was a muted blood red. A pair of red goggles with opaque yellow lenses concealed her eyes. The image of a young girl dressed in such a way, it was haunting.

"So that's her?"

Sam hovered over his shoulder, his arms crossed. He nodded.

"Another one of HYDRA's assassins. Who is apparently "rehabilitated". I don't know about this one, man."

"Fury found her. And I trust in his judgement. Besides, it might be better if we work together. I don't think we should openly oppose her. She might do something unpredictable. We don't need another complicated variable in this whole mess."

"I'm glad you think so," Jessica called, through the door of their room. She was keeping Dr. Anders company, attending to the unconscious scientist.

"See what I mean? Man, she gives me the heebie-jeebies," Sam muttered.

"Heard that too."

"Damn it."

The door opened to reveal the young woman.

"I get why you're apprehensive. But we're here for the same reason. To end Project Clairvoyant. Every day that passes, the closer they are to completing that device. It needs to be destroyed."

"Have any ideas where to start, assassin extraordinaire?" Sam asked sarcastically.

"Daniel Whitehall. He's an American leader of HYDRA. He has some ties to the project. Brainwashing apparently is a side hobby of his."

"Where is he now?"

"Well, from what I know of, he's still in the States. But a friend of mine is trying to find him."

"And what kind of friend is that?"

"A mutual friend of Nick Fury. They have agents tracking his movements. According to my intel, he has severed his connections to the Project, in favour of an old passion with some alien artifact. Point is, they'll be sending me information soon."

A little beep sounded. Jessica withdrew her phone. She held up a finger, while answering the phone. She made sure to drop her voice enough so that Steve's enhanced hearing couldn't pick it up.

"What'ya got?"

"Nice to see you too, Jessica," a familiar dry voice answered. "No how are you? Or how are you doing, Director?"

She waved a hand. "Yeah, yeah, Coulson. Got it. Well?"

"We got some intel when we raided one of Whitehall's safehouses. He's dead, if you're wondering."

"That's good to hear. So what about Project Clairvoyant?"

"We were able to save some data of that project. Apparently, the facility that was conducting the research is in the Austrian Alps. Hidden within the ruins of the old HYDRA base where they kept the Howling Commandos prisoner."

"Surprised that SHIELD didn't pick up on that before."

"Haven't you heard? Apparently, HYDRA is SHIELD."

"Thanks Coulson. Really appreciate it."

"No problem."

"Do you want me to pass on any hellos? I'm with Captain America."

There was a pause. Coulson was publicly known as a Cap fanboy before his death. Or before Fury decided to bring him back to life.

"No. They can't know I'm alive. Not yet anyway. Perhaps another time."

"Okay. Bye sir."

"Good luck."

He hung up.

For good measure, Jessica clutched the phone in her hand, the metal crunching underneath her grip. It was a pile of shards at her feet when she returned to Steve and Sam.

"You remember where the HYDRA base is in the Alps?" she asked Cap.

"It would be hard to forget."

"Cool. We're heading there."

…

HYDRA base, Austrian Alps. 1943.

 _"Prisoner 56898."_

 _Bucky looked up from the pile of parts surrounding him. He tried to hide his shaking hands behind his back as he stood. He knew what the guards wanted from him. His fellow POWs had warned him. Despite their efforts to conceal his worsening health, it wasn't enough. His empty stomach clenched in fright._

 _The two guards gestured for him to leave his post. When he hesitated, they launched forward, with punishing blows of their batons. Weak from hunger and overwork, he couldn't even defend himself from their onslaught. Even as one blow broke his nose, blood gushing down his chin. Cursing in German, they hauled him up and out of the work area. The last thing he saw through his swelling eye was the POWs, dipping their hats to him in salute. A salute for a fallen comrade._

 _The rage burned in him once more. He was not going to die strapped to a table, while some loony scientist experimented on him. He was gonna put up a hell of a fight._

 _Centering himself, he kicked as hard as he could, his foot connected with one of the guard's back of the knee. Crying out, he collapsed clutching his knee to his chest. Grabbing the fallen guard's baton, he clipped the other hard in the jaw, the man falling like a puppet with its strings cut. He knelt down to search his belt for anything important; keys, a gun, anything useful. There was a communicator, which he took as well as his Sten. Making sure it was loaded, he took off._

 _And quickly found himself lost. He was already coming down from the rush of attacking the guards, and hunger and fatigue were beginning to take over. But he found himself falling into his sniper mindset, or what some of his compatriots called, the eagle-eyed stare. He tread carefully, keeping his weak fingers clasped tightly around the stolen Sten. Tucking himself into a corner, he raised the gun. The weapon bucked in his hand, as he took out one guard after the other with cold detachment. The unfettered rage still burned in his chest. He was going to kill every one of these Nazi bastards in this place._

 _But it was only a silly revenge fantasy. Soon enough, he was surrounded and was quickly subdued. By the time they were done with him, he was sure he had a few broken ribs, broken jaw and shattered fingers. He was a mess._

 _A short doctor waited for him, tapping a pen against a clipboard as the guards strapped him against a gurney._

 _"This one is a fighter," the doctor remarked, adjusting his thin-rimmed glasses. Bucky spat at him, a gob of bloody saliva splattering his lenses. He didn't react, just taking off his glasses to clean the blood off them._

 _"Please retrieve the newest serum," he ordered an assistant. They quickly scurried off._

 _"Sergeant Barnes. Hmm," the doctor talked to himself. "Perhaps you will be the successful one."_

 _He struggled weakly against the restraints as the assistant returned, passing a syringe and a vial containing a blue liquid to the doctor. Zola quickly stabbed the syringe into the vial, drawing up the fluid. The assistant took notes, eyes coldly studying Bucky, while he was strapped to the table._

 _"First trial," Zola said to the assistant. "Subject is Prisoner 56898. Full name: Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes."_

 _"It's Bucky," he snarled, still thrashing in the restraints. The guards pinned him down. His furious breaths hissed loudly in the cold room, as Zola injected him with the serum._

 _"Observe him through the night. We will know if it was successful soon enough."_

 _…_

 _Soon after, he began to hallucinate. The shadows would leap off the walls, and snarl at him with dark, pointed teeth. Sometimes they would launch themselves at each other, coaelescing until they formed someone that he knew._

 _First, his mother appeared. No matter what he said to her, she wept, clutching a handkerchief. Her blue irises seemed to glow in her tear-filled eyes. She wore black._

 _Then it was his siblings. They didn't cry. They just stood over him, staring blankly in the distance. Again, they didn't answer him when he called._

 _After them, it was his first kill as a soldier. A young man, who didn't look older than sixteen. Bucky had collided with him as they managed to take some Italian foxholes, killing him in a fury with his serrated knife. The front of his uniform was stained black with his blood. Red tears ran down his pale, sunken cheeks._

 _Before the kid faded away, Steve appeared. His eyes, which usually always seemed to spit fire at him, were dull marbles. A uniform hung off his small frame, spattered with mud and blood. His best friend leveled a small pistol at him._

 _"Steve, what-"_

 _"Hail HYDRA."_

 _Bang._

…

2014\. En route to Austria.

The Winter Soldier stirred from his sleep. Riri sat across from him, her nose buried in a book. Tunnel lights flashed by their window, as the train hurtled through the darkness. Unzipping his backpack, he withdrew one of his journals, and scrawled what he remembered into it. The dream still haunted him. Feeling Bucky Barnes' panic, fear, anger. It was all so intense. It was so different than what he, as the Winter Soldier, felt; detachment and cold purpose. Though it seemed that the rage of his former self was beginning to return.

He opened the journal where he had pasted a picture of Captain America. Steve Rogers. Bucky Barnes' best friend. No. His best friend.

He flipped through the pages, trying to refresh himself on all his past self knew about the HYDRA weapons facility. The Soldier highly doubted that it would have the same layout. The base itself had been blown to bits. It would be likely that it was underneath the ruins of the old base. The ruins themselves would provide an additional obstacle to those attempting to get inside. It would almost certainly be booby-trapped as well.

He closed his journal and tucked it back inside his backpack. Adjusting his cap, he studied the passengers around them. None really stood out in this passenger car at the moment, and he wasn't going to draw attention to himself by patrolling all of the cars.

Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted, as the train slowed to a stop. Many of their fellow passengers departed the car, until only he, Riri and a few other men remained. One man rose and secured the doors closed as soon as the last passenger left.

"Riri, get down to the floor. Things are about to get ugly."

She didn't even question it. Closing her laptop, she slowly lowered herself onto the floor. The Winter Soldier rose. Before the HYDRA agents could react, he gripped one of the empty seats beside him, yanked it from its bracket, and threw it hard. The man at the door yelled in surprise as the chair collided with him, pinning him to the floor with its weight. Without stopping, he whirled, grabbing the man that attempted to sneak up behind him by the shirt, and threw him to the other end of the car. Grabbing the tops of the chairs closest to him, he propelled himself forward, his feet colliding into the chest of another agent. Something cracked underneath his boots. He probably broke some bones.

Another pulled out a small pistol. With disgust, the Soldier plucked it out of his hand and squeezed, the metal squealing in protest underneath the force of his metal fingers. With the tangled mess of a gun, he clipped the agent in the jaw. He immediately dropped.

Despite how good he was, he wasn't fast enough to stop Riri from being grabbed. But just as he reached for a discarded gun, she grabbed her laptop and smacked her captor hard in the face. Followed by a sound kick between the legs, the last agent was down.

Riri sagged into her chair.

"Well, that was fun."

….

2014\. En route to Austria. A different train.

Steve tensed. Sam immediately picked up on it, raising an eyebrow. He made a small motion with his chin.

Their car was strangely empty. No conversations passed between any of the passengers, which was highly unusual.

He looked to Jessica. The younger girl was seemingly relaxed, until he saw sparks of yellow energy sparking off her fingers. She met his eyes briefly. She pitched her voice low, low enough that only Steve would hear, with his enhanced senses.

"They're here. They want to stop us from getting to Austria."

Steve's response was equally quiet.

"Then let them try."

….

 _Things have started to come together now. My memories were blocked from me, hazy and far away. But now daybreak is piercing through that impenetrable wall. I will reclaim who I once was._

Excerpt from Bucky Barnes' journals. Collected as evidence by the Anti-Terrorism Task Force in the Vienna Bombing. 2016


	5. Chapter 5

**Seventeen**

2014, En route to Austria, on a different train

Jessica casually stood, stretching her arms over her head. One of the HYDRA agents stood as well, under the pretense of grabbing something from her bag. An extendable baton made a _shick_ sound as the segments clicked into place. When she turned her back, the HYDRA agent took the moment to strike. Or at least attempted to. Before she could even hit her target, Jessica leapt into the air, landing in a crouch on the train car ceiling. She dropped down onto the HYDRA agent, quickly dispatching her with a chop to the neck.

Steve and Sam emerged from their seats and joined the fray. Steve dodged a blow, whirling to deliver a punishing kick. The HYDRA agent flew into the window, the thick glass cracking with the strength of it. Sam was in a full out brawl, punishing punch after punishing punch being thrown. With the three of them, the agents were quickly subdued. They hauled the bodies back into their seats, using metal from some of the ruined seats and twisting them into manacles.

Jessica paused as she hauled two men over her shoulders. Steve stilled as well.

"Oh no. You have your "trouble" face on," Sam groaned.

Something landed on the train, shaking the car. It shuddered as it came to a screeching halt. Jessica ran to the door, just to see the rest of the train grow smaller and smaller in the distance. But what really drew her attention were the claws, the fingers long and triple-jointed reaching towards the glass. Her stomach dropped.

"Yeah, we got trouble."

…

2014\. Salzburg, Austria.

As soon as they disembarked off their train, the Soldier and Riri split up, then regrouped at the taxi station. The Soldier could tell they were close to the mountains. Even at the train station, he could smell the crisp cool air from the mountains, tasting of snow and ice-cold gale winds. It set him on edge. He now knew what happened here. This was where Bucky Barnes plunged into an icy ravine, the sound of Steve's screams and his bouncing off the sharp mountaintops. It was where Bucky Barnes died. And where the Winter Soldier was born.

He could feel Riri staring at him in the corner of his eye. He didn't want to look at her. They were here to do one thing. Find the new base and destroy Project Clairvoyant. Then he'd be free to do what he wanted. Have his own life. For once.

The Soldier pulled out the map he got from one of the tourist centers. From Salzburg, they would be able to drive to one of the small chalet-like towns closer to the mountain range. From there, they would have to hike their way to the hidden base.

He let Riri take care of the reservations, who had managed to create fake aliases for them on her phone. The rate that technology changed astounded him. He may have forgotten his past self, but he did remember his experiences as the Winter Soldier, throughout all the years he was ordered to take out HYDRA's enemies.

After one taxi ride and bus trek later, they finally arrived at their chalet. Tourists and locals alike punched their feet through the thick snow, toting their skis and snowboards on their shoulders. The Soldier caught snatches of German, English, Austrian, French and countless others. They'd blend in, be invisible in this multinational chalet. Now all they needed was gear. More so for Riri's sake than his, as the corrupt Super Soldier serum kept his body running at a higher temperature. Things like cold and heat didn't affect him as much.

Keeping a cap low over his brow, he collected the gear from the main convenience store, which carried anything from junk food to ski gear. No one paid him any mind, besides the bored cashier, who attempted to flirt with him. Dusting off his old charms was as natural as a pig flying, but it seemed to be enough for the young girl across the counter. He managed to get a few extra bags of jerky. She didn't even bat an eye when he paid for everything in cash.

When he returned to the cabin, Riri had set up her own corner, loops of extension cables encircling her as she plugged in various devices. She let a little cheer as her laptop sparked with life, her fingers flying a mile a minute as she pulled up schematics of the secret HYDRA facility. Without looking back at him, she held out a tablet to him, the plans already displayed on the screen.

"Schematics, with security detail and checkpoints. Red points are surveillance cameras," she said, spinning her earphones around her finger.

The Soldier tapped at the screen with his metal hand. It didn't react, even when he swiped at it. Huffing, he tried with his other hand, with more success. He sat down on one of the beds, feeling Riri's judgment at his lack of tech skills.

He studied the schematics. It was a tiered system, with increasing security as he ventured farther down into the facility. More disposable guards were stationed at the higher sublevels, designated as Level I staff, with a few cameras mounted at strategic corners. Whereas as you descended, the number of cameras increased, with more skilled security, designated as Level II or Level III, positioned in squads across the floor. The Soldier saw the strategy in it. Wear down any intruders at the upper levels with just sheer numbers. Then the squads would come in, and go for the kill while you were tired.

The majority of the labs were in the lowest subbasements, along with some unlabeled empty spaces. Most likely cells containing test subjects. Red hot anger boiled in his blood, followed by steely resolve. He was going to free those prisoners. HYDRA wasn't going to keep anyone captive ever again.

Already a plan was forming in his mind, years of infiltrating as a ghost bolstering him. The blue-eyed ghost watched him from its corner, its head bobbing in assurance.

….

2014\. On a train to Austria.

"What the hell is that thing?!" Sam yelled.

Jessica glared at him. She was currently in the grasp of said thing, its triple-jointed fingers wrapping tightly around her torso. "To hell whatever it is! A little help?"

Steve charged forward, shield strapped firmly to his arm, and struck the creature with all his might. The beast stumbled, roaring. Its fangs were as long as his forearms, the deadly curves coated with venom. It was snake-like, but had the body of a gorilla. The veins underneath the creature's skin popped out angrily. It was enough for Jessica to emerge from its grasp, landing in a crouch. She shot out some of her stunning blasts but to no avail. The beast wouldn't be tamed.

The girl pulled out two wicked looking daggers, their edges serrated. She watched the beast fight Steve blow for blow. She turned to Sam. He had a gun aimed at the creature, waiting for an opening.

"How much do you know about wiring?" she asked.

"A little. Got a plan?"

"Yeah. Go get the shock cart kit there."

Sam retrieved it, opening the power pack to the wiring within. He quickly attached them to her daggers.

"Hopefully this works," he muttered.

"No faith at all in us, Wilson?" Jessica snipped.

Sam rolled his eyes, as he followed close. She leapt onto the ceiling, crawling towards the creature. Dodging a claw here and there, she leapt onto the thing's shoulders, the daggers singing deep into its neck. It yowled in anger.

"Now!"

Sam pressed the shock button, as Jessica pressed her glowing hands to the creatures' skull. It squealed as it shuddered, the electricity ripping inside its body. The smell of burnt flesh filled the car as it finally collapsed.

Steve sighed, running a hand through his hair. Sam gave Jessica a hand up. The two men looked to her, eyes expectant.

She huffed. "May as well as sit down. We're going to be here awhile anyway."

…

 _The realization came at a certain age. I was seventeen. You were sixteen. We were heading back to Brookyln in the back of a freezer truck after I spent all our money trying to impress a redhead at Coney Island. The sun was setting, our legs dangling over the bed of the truck. It cast your hair a brilliant gold, your wan face seeming to glow with life._

 _It didn't matter what dame came along to change things. What stupid things I did, or what pointless fight you got yourself into. We would always be there for each other. Because we were more than friends, more than brothers._

 _I don't know what you would call it. But I think for everyone, there is another person that is their other half. Someone that always got his or her back, 'til the end of the line._

 _Romantic, or platonic, it doesn't matter. Some people are just meant to be with you._

 _And that person was you. Always you._

Excerpt from Bucky Barnes' journals. Taken as evidence by the Anti-Terrorism Task Force for the bombing in Vienna. 2016.

 **Hey everyone I know its been a while. Since seeing Avengers Endgame (omg that movie was amazing), I've been inspired to begin writing this fic again. Now, I'm determined to finish it. Whatever it takes ;)**


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